Sport & Story Daily April 15, 2024

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April 15, 2024

Good morning! Football-Free Football

Future of college football spring games? Ole Miss shows they’re fun, festive and … mostly football free
Lane Kiffin has always been considered innovative in his field. Now he’s changing the way we think about college football spring games — Ole Miss welcomed Joey Chestnut for a hot dog eating contest, sororities for a tug-of-war championship and the football team put on a slam dunk contest. As CBS Sports writes, it had the look and feel of a circus.
^{CBS Sports}

Bad Bunny’s Sports Agency Hit With Bribe Claims, per Report
Rimas Sports, which represents several high-profile MLB players such as Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, Nationals outfielder Eddie Rosario and Reds infielder Santiago Espinal, has been accused of offering players cash and gifts to switch agencies.
^{Front Office Sports}

Arizona Coyotes Are No More, Will Move to Salt Lake City
Team owner Alex Meruelo has sold the franchise to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, and construction on a new downtown hockey arena will begin in Salt Lake City. Meruelo bought the team back in 2019 for $425 million, and the franchise was recently valued at $675 million by Sportico.
^Sportico

A Telecast Unlike Any Other: Inside The Masters’ $0 TV Deals
Golf’s first major of the year collects exactly $0 from ESPN and CBS for the rights to televise the Masters, although recent estimates have guessed the Masters could command $125 million annually for its rights.
^Sportico

Sports Media Game-Changer? Skydance Eyes CBS Parent in $5B Deal
David Ellison, the CEO of Skydance Media, is making a push to acquire National Amusements, which is the family company that controls CBS parent Paramount Global. The two sides have agreed to a month of exclusive talks to work on the complex deal.
^{Front Office Sports}

Calling the Masters Can Make You — Or Break You
Every golf fan can recall famous calls from Jim Nantz and Verne Lundquist at Augusta National Golf Club. But there are also stories like Gary McCord, whose comments on a CBS broadcast of the Masters left him excommunicated from the country’s most-watched tournament.
^{Front Office Sports}

MLS Finally Gets Its Own Piece of the Big Apple
It’s been almost 30 years since the MLS got its start, and at last, New York City will get its stadium — NYCFC has gained formal land-use approval for a $780 million, 25,000-seat stadium at Willets Point in Queens, close to Citi Field and the UTSA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
^{Front Office Sports}

Bears, White Sox in ‘high-stakes’ stadium talks with Chicago city officials
Both franchises are trying to build new stadiums in the city, and have discussed adding revenue from the city’s amusement tax on ticket sales to the complicated mix of public financing they believe is needed to get the new stadiums built.
^{Sports Business Journal}

LIV Golf Hires 76ers CRO Katie O’Reilly For Executive Role
The hiring of O’Reilly, who has worked at Madison Square Garden, the NBA and IMG before joining the Philadelphia 76ers, is a strong indication that LIV Golf is not planning an abbreviated shelf life.
^Sportico

Kentucky boosters donate $4 million for NIL following Mark Pope hire
The sizable donation is a group effort of sorts — two donors have combined to donate the $4 million to kickstart recruiting efforts.
^on3

Latest trend in state NIL laws prepares for inevitable
Several states are trying to be proactive by introducing and passing NIL reform bills — legislators in Missouri, Virginia, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana, Nebraska and Rhode Island have all recently passed or introduced bills.
^on3

High-profile Florida QB DJ Lagway to launch merchandise line
Lagway will collaborate with Only The Strong Survive in a line designed by The Akra Vision, which will include t-shirts, hats, hoodies and more.
^{Sports Business Journal}

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